Feast of Saint John the Evangelist (Great Autumn Festival)

The grand patronal feast of San Giovanni la Punta

In San Giovanni la Punta, a populous municipality in the Metropolitan City of Catania nestled on the southeastern slopes of Mount Etna, the Feast of Saint John the Evangelist is the most anticipated religious and popular event of the year. The so-called Great Autumn Festival, restored and consolidated in recent decades, is celebrated on the penultimate Sunday of September and is distinct from the summer feast in July and the liturgical commemoration on December 27th.

The titular saint, Saint John the Apostle and Evangelist, is venerated as the town's patron: his statue and the ancient processions with the relic are attested by documents from 1666 and 1713, a sign of a centuries-old tradition that runs through the entire history of the local community.

The procession and the exit of the statue

The heart of the festival is the solemn procession. On the eve, Saturday, the procession of the relic of the patron saint sets off from the Church of San Giuseppe and, crossing the main streets of the town, reaches the Mother Church, where a solemn mass is celebrated in the presence of clergy and civil and military authorities.

On Sunday, after the translation of the statue to the high altar, the saint is placed on the artistic wooden fercolo and makes his first triumphant exit from the Mother Church, welcomed by a shower of multicolored paper, the festive ringing of bells, the applause of the faithful, and fireworks. To reach the newer districts of the town that has grown over time, the procession is spread over two evenings.

Bands, fireworks, and traditions

• Brass bands accompanying the parade along the town's streets;
• Fireworks displays, featuring the famous rivalry between the pyrotechnics of the two historic town districts;
• The traditional Cantata in honor of Saint John, which concludes the highlights;
• The sacred allegorical float, reintroduced in 2004 after decades of absence.

A heritage of the Etna region

The Feast of Saint John the Evangelist represents one of the most vibrant expressions of popular devotion in the Catania hinterland, in that territory at the foot of Mount Etna rich in patronal feasts and religious traditions. For those visiting the province of Catania in late September, it is an authentic opportunity to immerse oneself in the atmosphere of a Sicilian village festival, blending the sacred and folklore, far from the most beaten tourist paths.